Splitting Hairs
by amagicalship
Summary: A canon divergence/deleted scene concerning Captain Wench and THAT kiss from 3x21. Killian was definitely jealous. He may have also been a bit curious.


"You kissed him!" Killian broke the silence with a sudden outburst - half statement, half question.

Emma halted, her shoulders tightening around her ears as the tension between them peaked. They'd been walking through the forest for some time now, the only noise Killian's large, angry feet stomping through the underbrush as if he could somehow defeat the unwelcome feelings he'd been experiencing by crushing every living thing beneath him.

Despite the modicum of guilt she felt, she kind of enjoyed him this way, all petulant and jealous and bewildered. It was…different. _They_ were different. It hadn't been necessary to hide her smirk up to that point, since he'd been walking in front of her, but as he turned to confront her, she thought it might be better to play it a bit more sober. There was a definite volatility between them since they'd left the ship, and she wanted to soothe things over because they had bigger things to worry about, like whether she could get her parents to meet and whether or not she'd actually get to be born.

"And…?" she challenged with eyebrows raised, placing a hand on her hip and huffing in indignation as she took in the angry furrow of his brow and the disbelieving look in his eyes, the lantern he was holding up providing the only light, but a bright one. There seemed to be a bit of fire lighting him up from the inside, as well.

Killian shook his head in agitation, waving his hook in the air dramatically.

"Well, I just…." he started, stopping mid-sentence, his foot shifting as he seemed to either lose his train of thought or lose his nerve. Emma had to bite her lower lip to keep from laughing. She'd never seen him so flustered before.

"Yes?" she asked, feigning ignorance as to what might be bothering him.

"Well, I just…" he began again, shaking his head and looking at the ground, before lifting the lantern again to look at her. "That wasn't the plan, Swan!"

Emma still desperately wanted to laugh, but she bit her tongue, not wanting to add fuel to the fire. They had a timeline to fix, after all, and a future to restore.

"The plan was to 'keep him occupied,' wasn't it?" she asked innocently, raising both of her hands in question.

Killian rolled his eyes, taking a step toward her and pointedly looking at her lips, his expression disbelieving.

"Since when does _keeping him occupied_ mean letting him have his way with you? Hmm?" The anger radiated off of him, his lean figure taught as a livewire.

Emma rolled her eyes, crossing her arms over her chest as she squared her shoulders, holding her ground. She stepped forward, too.

"It worked, didn't it?" she intoned vehemently, losing some patience. She didn't have time for Killian's jealous boyfriend routine right now, especially since he wasn't, in fact, her boyfriend. They weren't even dating, were they? She knew there was something between them - a partnership of sorts, an understanding - but if he thought there was anything more than that, or any implied exclusivity, he had another thing coming.

He tilted his head at her, looking equally annoyed.

"I don't know, Swan, there was so much moaning and heavy breathing in the room, I could hardly tell if it was all part of the plan or if you were merely enjoying yourself!" More waving of the hook was involved in making his point, his voice childish and uncharacteristically high pitched.

Emma finally broke down and laughed at that, albeit incredulously. Her cheeks flushed instantly, though, her heart rate rising as she remembered just how much she had been enjoying the kiss with Hook before Killian had interrupted them. What could she say? It'd been awhile since she'd been physical with anyone, and as far as male specimens go, Hook was a fine one. They'd been having fun together, too, their flirting at the tavern both affable and hot'n'heavy in an instant. He could spar with words as well as he could hold his own with a blade, and it had been entertaining to see him that way, no pretense or history to muddy things between them, his smiles easier and consequently hers, too. She had learned some new things about the nefarious Captain Hook that night, things that made her like him a bit more than she wanted to, things that made her feel a bit girly and off-centered. The time spent with him left a smile on her face that she couldn't quite seem to get rid of.

What she couldn't understand was why Killian was so mad. She'd been kissing _him_ , after all. Not _him_ him, but still. He should take it as a compliment, shouldn't he? Yet somehow it was making him crazy.

"Is that what this is about? Hmm?" Emma searched his eyes, watching as his adam's apple bobbed up and down. "You want to know if I enjoyed kissing your former self?" She took a step closer to him, her eyes going inadvertently to his lips as he bit the lower one.

Killian scratched behind his ear with his hook, his mouth dropping open as if he were going to say something, then shutting again, his jaw clenching, and Emma was confused, wondering what exactly his point was. It wasn't like him to find trouble expressing himself. He was always expressing himself and making his feeling known about, well, everything. Usually in long, colorful phrases that were more than adequate to make his point.

He blew out a harsh breath. "Obviously you were enjoying yourself. I'm not sure I've ever seen you _enjoy_ yourself quite so much." His expression turned to one of bitterness, and that sparked Emma's imagination, her thoughts racing toward a conclusion she could hardly suppress.

"You want to know who the better kisser is!" she exclaimed, clapping her hand over her mouth, pointing a childish finger at him as it all suddenly became clear to her.

"What? No, that's not-that's not the point, Swan. This is…" He adjusted his stance, looking more flustered than ever.

She'd nailed him, she knew it. It was written all over his face, as usual, and suddenly he was having a hard time looking her in the eye, the expressive eyebrows doing a dance across his forehead.

Emma giggled again, despite her better judgment, momentarily forgetting the fact that they were on a mission, enjoying this whole situation just a little too much.

Killian scratched behind his ear again nervously, moving around, trying to find his footing.

"Come now, he could barely stand up straight, I can't imagine…" he shook his head before continuing, sneering and letting out a small huff, "I can't imagine he could get the job done properly in that condition. His posture was all sloppy, and his hands must have felt like a labrador going for a plaything, not what a woman wants to feel when she's being engaged in amorous affection."

Emma scoffed, interrupting his diatribe with a guffaw. "I knew it!" she jested, poking him in the chest. Killian switched the lantern to his hook, dropping it to the side and freeing up his hand to grasp hers before she could get away. She startled at the contact, all of a sudden more aware of his proximity and the fire in his eyes that made them burn as blue as a flame. He was _definitely_ not looking at her the way that Hook had, and she cleared her throat uncomfortably, her eyes darting between that damnable chest hair and his handsome face, made even more luminous in the lamplight.

When he spoke again, his words came out in a whisper, laced with vulnerability. "What can I say, Swan? It was hard to watch meself succeed in seducing you so willingly when all I've wanted for so long was just a chance to prove my mettle, as it were." He blew out a harsh breath, looking at the ground before meeting her eyes again. "And perhaps, yes, perhaps I'd like to know whose kiss you enjoyed more - mine or Captain Hook's," he added, enunciating his moniker with disdain. A small, bashful smile crossed his face as he searched her eyes for a reaction.

His thumb caressed her fingers gently, almost questioningly, and Emma stood there, motionless, trying to decide what to do next. She knew what she _needed_ to do, but what her heart and her body were telling her to do were in direct conflict with that. He was just so open like this, out here in the forest alone. She'd spent the whole night flirting with his other self, it almost felt natural now to continue.

"Well…" she drawled, returning his caress with her own, her thumb gliding over his skin and making his breath catch. "I can hardly remember _your_ kiss," she lied, playing it coy. "It was just so long ago now, I mean…"

He smiled devilishly, tilting his head at her and dropping their hands between them, though he kept his fingers curled around hers lightly.

"Now that, my dear, is a lie." His face grew more serious as he looked her straight in the eye. " _No_ one could forget a kiss like that."

Emma could only smirk, knowing he was right but not wanting to actually admit it. Instead she continued with the teasing.

"It was just a kiss," she insisted, casually shrugging one shoulder.

Killian shook his head, eyebrows drawing together. " _Just_ a kiss? Bloody hell!"

His eyes landed on her lips and that was all the warning she got before he was jerking her forward, crushing her mouth with his own, the lantern dropping to the ground, forgotten, as he drew her close, hooked arm around her waist and fingers tangling in her hair. The air whooshed from her lungs as all her nerves were set aflame, the feel of him against her - this time, awake and alert, no rum to dull his senses - a revelation.

"Mmm…" she moaned softly as his tongue played at her lips, and she opened to him, forgetting everything else as she let herself go, her hands stroking up his chest and fingers curling into his jacket instinctively as he angled her head with his hand, granting him better access. She heard him groan softly as his tongue stroked against hers, slowly but with purpose.

It was impossible not to compare this kiss to the one she had shared with Hook only a short while before, because the similarities were uncanny. She knew they were two different people, and yet they were the same, even somehow tasted the same. His technique was identical and the passion behind the kiss - the simmering attraction between them that was completely undeniable - was surprisingly similar. Even in his drunken state, Hook had proved himself talented, and in that short moment when he'd called her beautiful, he'd been as smitten with her as Killian was, she was sure of it.

Of course, when you assigned feelings to the action, she knew they were deeper here, and more complex. It was exactly those feelings she had been trying to avoid for so long, and those feelings which caused her to pull away finally, Killian chasing her lips, his eyelids fluttering open when he realized the kiss was over.

He smiled at her then, holding her close, looking mightily assured of himself. Cocking one eyebrow, he asked, "Well?" and Emma let out a soft huff of laughter.

"You don't honestly expect me to say you were better, do you?"

She watched as his jaw clenched, consternation taking over his features.

"It's like splitting hairs! How can I compare your kiss to his, when he _is_ , in fact, you!? Just younger. And maybe hornier." Emma rolled her eyes.

"That bloody scoundrel? That wretch of a human being?" The disdain he felt for his former self was palpable.

Emma's eyelashes fluttered as she blinked involuntarily, searching for the right words to say.

Killian looked agitated momentarily before regathering his strength, determination replacing the disappointment that had been written all over his face.

"Perhaps another demonstration is in order, darling."

Emma's eyes widened and then he pounced, claiming her lips and closing all the space between them. This time he laid it all on the table, his kiss none too gentle as his tongue sought and found her own. Heat spread between them, their bodies coming together and sending waves of pleasure rippling across her skin. His hand drifted down her neck, ghosting over one breast as his thumb ran across her nipple, making her gasp. She clutched at his lapels for dear life now, her knee raising from the ground on its own volition and hips pressing into him as she hooked her foot behind his leg. He caught her leg and lifted it higher, his hot palm gliding up her thigh until he was squeezing her ass and Emma knew that they had definitely crossed a line and there was no turning back. Evidence of his arousal became clear when he pulled her even closer, rocking into her, all the while kissing her deeper and more thoroughly than before, and she was definitely impressed. _God_ , but the man could kiss, and it was taking every ounce of strength that she had not to back him up against a tree and have her way with him, a hollow ache building between her thighs that made it hard to think straight.

Perhaps it was exactly what she wanted, what she had wanted all along, and tonight with the old Hook she had been given an excuse to take it, to just let go for a moment and feel something, dammit. Of course, as luck would have it, now that she knew what she wanted it was all hanging in the balance, her future lying in the hands of her parents, who she somehow needed to introduce to one another just to give herself a fighting chance.

A small sob escaped her, unbeckoned, and that was when Killian pulled back, this time Emma chasing his lips, so wrapped up in one another, it took them a few moments to become untangled, her leg slowly lowering to the ground. Emma's fingers were gripping his jacket so tightly they felt cramped, yet even still, she didn't want to let go, needing him to hold her upright, their bodies swaying slightly, both of them gulping in air.

She avoided looking in his eyes, knowing what she would find there. Hoping for it and dreading it at the same time.

"That was…" she murmured, still breathless. Swallowing thickly, she continued. "Better, ok? You win." She couldn't help but look up at him then, noting the tenderness in his eyes, still burning with desire.

He stroked her cheek gently and kissed her one more time, softly but firmly, before pulling away, satisfied now that his point had been made.

"Good," was all he said, and Emma smiled, finally releasing her hold on him, keeping her head down so he wouldn't see her blush.

"Come, Swan, we've a ball to crash."

Emma nodded, unable to say more, and she was grateful he didn't demand anything else from her, somehow sensing they had edged into new and dangerous territory and always knowing when to give her space.

Killian picked up the lantern with his hook, taking her hand in his and she let him, needing his support right now for so many different reasons it was hard to count them all. Also, maybe...just maybe, she kind of liked it - the way their palms fit together, his larger hand encompassing her smaller one, keeping it safe.

All of these thoughts and feelings she tucked inside of her as they trudged on through the forest, together in one mind and purpose. She didn't honestly know who the better kisser was, but this Killian, the one who cared for her and fought for her, he was the one she truly wanted, of that she knew for certain.


End file.
